The Malfoy's Vacation to the Beach
by N. Forest
Summary: Seven year old Draco Malfoy is spending a few weeks on Lake Ontario with his parents. But after playing in the sun all day he isn't feeling too good.


**Disclaimer**: JRK owns everything. I don't and I make nothing other than happiness when I write fan

fiction.

Draco's Vacation to the Beach 

"That was so much fun!" Draco Malfoy bounced along the beach next to his parents. Despite

the late hour and spending the day in the lake he was still full of energy.

"We'll do it again tomorrow." Lucius reassured his son. "Now stop bouncing and walk

properly."

The seven year old immediately straightened and walked neatly back to the Malfoy summer

cottage. It was small sized (meaning only as large as Gryffindor tower) and every summer the family

came to Canada and spent a few weeks in the water and sun.

"Can we go swimming at night?" Draco asked Narcissa when she came to tuck him in. Every

though he wasn't a little boy she still liked to go through their older bedtime rituals in the summer. It

made her feel more like a mother.

"Not tonight. Daddy's tired. Maybe later in the week." Narcissa kissed his forehead and fussed

with the blankets one last time. "Sweet dreams."

"Night mum." Draco rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. A few moments later his slow,

steady breathing let Narcissa know that he was sleeping. She smiled at him and quietly slipped out of

the room.

But her night couldn't end there, even through she was exhausted. In the Master bedroom

Lucius was lying on floor as he writhed in pain.

"Please! Cissy it hurts!" He cried, clutching his left forearm.

Narcissa pressed her lips together. After the Dark Lord she'd hoped the pain of the mark would

stop. But Lucius still felt a phantom pull every few months. More than anything she wanted him to be

free from the agonising pain.

"It's all right. Relax." She wet a cloth, picked up a potion vial and sat down next to her husband.

"I'm here." Narcissa banished his robes off and quickly pressed the cold cloth onto his swelling arm

and pulled the cork from the potion. "Here. Drink." She pressed the strong pain relief draft against his

lips.

"Thank you." Lucius felt the burning in his arm settle to a dull ache. "Thank you." He pulled

himself out of Narcissa's lap. "We should go to bed."

"Good night." Narcissa rose and entered the large bathroom.

*************

For Lucius the morning came far to quickly.

"Morning Daddy! Can we go to the beach now?" The little monster was jumping up and down

on the bed between his parents.

"No." Lucius growled. His arm still hurt and he was very tired. The pain in his arm hadn't let

him get very much sleep.

"Please Daddy?" Draco begged.

"Not now little one." Narcssia grabbed him tightly. "We have to eat and get up and get dressed.

Would you like to call a house elf?"

Draco's eyes shone. He wasn't allowed to order the house elves around until he was older and he

had to have his parents with him. "Which one mum?"

"Hilly. She's the cook." Narcissa loved hearing Draco call her mum. Her own mother had only

ever let her use the formal Mother as a form of address.

"Hilly!" Draco cast out his arm and snapped his fingers. The house elf in a crisp dish towel

popped into the room and bowed low to the floor. "I want breakfast!"

"Yes Master Draco." Hilly bowed and popped away again.

Today the family did not take their time eating. This was not a morning to be purebloods.

Everyone simply wanted to get to the beach and into the water.

There was a quickly walk from the forest-like area around house to the expansive beach. The

scene was picture perfect. The sand was hot and clean. The waves hit the shore with soft crashes and

the water shone from the sun beating down on it.

"Come on!" Draco dropped his towel and ran toward the water. The sun beat down on the three

pale Malfoy's as they entered the water.

At first it was cold. But they started swimming and before they knew it, Hilly was calling them

for lunch on the picnic blanket.

Draco ran between his parents as they made their way to the large spread of food. A quick

charm dried them off and kept the sand from sticking to their bodies.

"Settle down." Lucius told his son sharply. His mood as improved a tiny bit. One of his

favourite things about North America was that the Dark Lord's power was less known here and there

was no need for him to cover his arm all the time. The mark stood out against his very pale arm. Most

of the year he had to wear long sleeves and carefully watch that no one saw. But not here.

"Do you want some juice?" Draco offered a goblet of passion fruit and mango juice to his

parents.

"We're fine." Narcissa told him as she charmed her red wine ice cold. "Have a sandwich." She

pointed to the food. "And some cucumber. You need vegetables."

Draco scowled. He didn't mind cucumber, but being told what to eat annoyed him. "Fine." He

said in a huffy voice before picking up the smallest slice and eating it quickly. "I hate cucumber."

Narcissa and Lucius ignored him. Both had taken out their books and reports from England and

started reading over them.

Draco practically inhaled his food. He was very anxious to get back in the water. "Come on

Daddy!" He said, seizing Lucius hand and hauling toward the water.

Lucius almost fainted from surprise. Never in all his life had he heard Draco call him anything

other than Father or Sir. I hope the other children in his class aren't teaching him this behaviour. I want

him to grow up to be a pureblood prince. He technically is one.

"Swimming time!" Draco leapt into the water and performed an act of accidental magic. An

enormous amount of water went flying at his parents and soaked them.

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged looks. They always tried to encourage magic as much as

possible and an act of accidental magic was great cause for celebration.

"I think we're suppose to go swimming." Narcissa said as she help Lucius to his feet. When he

stood she leaned close and whispered to him. "Do you need more potion?"

Lucius smiled back. For once I actually don't feel any pain at all from my arm. "Not right now."

He carefully led her down to the water.

After another three hours of water play Draco sighed. He was so tired! "Mum, can we go back

to the cottage? I'm tired." He tugged relentlessly on the edge of her swimsuit.

"Yes. I'm ready to go back now." Narcissa took his hand and called to her husband. "We're

heading back now."

Lucius nodded and apparated to his wife's side. "I'll come to." He took his family's hand and

apparated back to the cottage. The wards weren't very strong because there was nothing to fear here.

Everything was perfect and beautiful.

"Go change." Narcissa told Draco. "Play quietly until dinner." Despite being on vacation, both

adults still had work to do.

"Okay." Draco hurried up the stairs. He felt tired and hot. Like the sun was still beating down

on him. His stomach was achy too. Luckily his room was on the second story and he changed into light

robes made of a soft, silky material. They felt so cool against his skin.

But instead of playing he laid down on his bed and tried to cool off. But the hot feeling wouldn't

go away! His skin was hot, itchy and it hurt where his clothes and his bed was touching it. Draco

squirmed about, but nothing seemed to help. Eventually he slipped into a restless sleep.

"Draco?" Narcissa opened the door to her son's room. "Draco? Are you in here?" She hadn't

found the boy in his playroom and it was time for dinner. She walked into the room and scanned it

quickly before noticing the figure on the bed. "Draco!" She rushed to his side.

"Mum?" Draco opened his eyes. "I hurt."

"I believe it." She sat down next to him and carefully touched his face and arms. "You're

sunburned. I can't believe I forgot to cast the preventative charms on you."

Draco stuck out his lower lip. "It hurts! Make it stop!" He squirmed a little more.

"I'll have to brew the potions you need. "Just wait an hour Draco and I'll make you feel better."

Narcissa stood up and tapped her Malfoy ring with her wand. It opened a short-range communicator

between her and Lucius.

"Yes?" Lucius put down his book and looked at his ring.

"Draco's sun burned. I need you to stay with him while I brew some potions." Narcissa

whispered into her ring.

"I'll be right there." Lucius hurried up the stairs. He didn't want Draco to be in pain. He loved

his son.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Narcissa told her husband. "Give him a cool, not cold, cool bath

and a little of the adult fever reducer if he's got a fever. Use ice and wet clothes to sooth his skin." She

smiled tightly and hurried out of the room.

"Okay. Come on Draco." Lucius helped his son up as carefully as he could. "You'll feel better

after you take a bath." He helped his son to the bathroom and uncovered the giant tub with a flick of his

wand. Another flick and the tub was full of cool, clear water.

Draco shrugged off his robes and relaxed in the cool water. It did make him feel much better,

but not that much. He glanced down and was amazed to see that his entire body was bright, bright red.

Almost like he'd been roasted.

"Here. Wash up." Lucius handed him an ice cold wash cloth to rub gently over his skin. It was

covered in an aloe soap that would help his skin feel better.

Thanks daddy." Draco accepted the help climbing out of the tub and into light robes. He headed

straight back to his bedroom and curled up under the light sheet.

Lucius's weakness was potions and healing. In school he'd never been able to get decent marks

without cheating on anything of the type. So he was at a loss at how to care for his son. He knew that

Narcissa kept a muggle thermometer in the bathroom and he found that and the fever reducing potion

easily enough.

But the thermometer mystified him. He had no idea of how to use the strange thing. There was

an instruction booklet, but it wasn't very helpful. But at the bottom of the basket was a little note from

Narcissa that explained how to use everything in the 'sick' box.

"Open your mouth Draco." Lucius ordered. He was still disgusted by the thought of using a

glass and metal stick to measure a temperature. Draco must have been something along the same lines.

"Why?" He croaked. Aside from one goblet of juice almost five hours ago he hadn't had

anything else to drink after spending all that time in the sun.

"I need to take your temperature." Lucius moved the thermometer to the edge of his mouth.

"You just have to keep it. . . under your tongue." He had to check the directions to make sure. "Then I

can give you a potion."

Draco allowed the cold, glassy stick to be placed under his tongue and he closed his lips around

it tightly. Lucius waited for the reading to finish.

After the two minutes were up Lucius removed the thermometer and glanced at the display. "I'll

be right back." He hurried into the basement potions lab.

"Lucius."

"Severus. What are you doing here" Lucius asked his unexpected guest.

"Narcissa needed my assistance. I am a healer and my godson is sick. Can I help you with

something?" He asked, gesturing to the thermometer clutched in Lucius's hand.

"Yes." Lucius showed his friend the number. "Is this a fever?"

Severus's eyes widened. "Yes. Give him a tea spoon of the adult fever reducer and a sip of

sleeping draft. I'll try to finish this as soon as possible." He motioned to the seven cauldrons he and

Narcissa were tending.

"Okay." Lucius hurried back up the stairs, pausing to grab a spoon from the kitchen. He walked

back into Draco's room and filled the spoon with potion. "Draco?"

"Yes?" Draco sat up against the pillows on his bed. "Yes daddy?"

"Drink these potions." He handed him the spoon and the tiny amount of sleeping potion in a

glass of water.

Draco looked distastefully at both, but he accepted them. He wanted to stop hurting, but potions

tasted so bad!

"You must drink them Draco. They'll help you feel better." Lucius told him. Usually this was

Narcissa or Severus's job. He'd never had to give Draco potions before.

Draco glared at the spoon but drank the contents down as quickly as possible. In order to get the

taste out of his mouth he took a large gulp of water, not knowing that it was laced with sleeping draft

and slightly bitter.

Lucius watched his son suffer through both potions. He breathed a sigh of relief when Draco

gulped down the last of the sleeping draft. "Just rest until the potions are done. Go to sleep." He nodded

happily when Draco lay down and pulled the sheet back over himself.

Then he sat down in the chair next to Draco's bed to wait for the potions to arrive for his son.

"Did you get him to take the potions?" Severus's low voice startled Lucius out of his day

dreams.

"Yes." Lucius sat up straight and looked at the various bottles in Severus's hands. Narcissa

stood in the doorway behind him with even more potions in her hands.

"Good job." Narcissa gave her husband a kiss. "It took me ages to get him to take potions."

"Thank you." Lucius climbed out of his chair. "Now if you could see to Draco?" He motioned

at the sleeping boy.

"Of course." Narcissa sat on the edge of the bed. "Draco. Draco. Draco!"

Draco opened his eyes. "I hurt mum. I feel so bad!" He clung to her.

"I've got some potions for you. And a lotion to make your skin stop hurting." Severus told his

godson. He moved closer to the edge of the bed. "It'll make you feel better."

Draco looked up. "Uncle Sev!"

"Yes. Now you need to take some more potions." Narcissa told her son. "Come sit in my lap."

She carefully manoeuvred Draco so he was facing Severus and sitting on her lap.

Draco made a face. "I don't want any more potions. I already had some." He looked at his

godfather with pleading eyes. "Please no potions?"

Severus didn't answer the question. He removed the cork from a child's fever reducer and sat

down next to Draco. "This will help you cool off." He didn't let him take the potion, but pressed it

against his lips and tipped it into his mouth.

Draco coughed and spluttered but he drank the potion down. "That was nasty!" He told the

assembled adults.

"It worked." Narcissa felt his forehead. "Do you feel any better?"

"A little." Draco admitted.

"Just a few more." Severus took the next few vials in his left hand. "Drink up." He feed Draco

the heat stroke, hydration, stomach calming, and pain relieving draft before he protested again.

"Yucky!" Draco squirmed on his mother's lap. "No more. Please Uncle Sev!"

"We're almost done Draco." Snape showed him the last two vials. "Then you can go to sleep."

Draco opened his mouth. "I don't want any more."

Severus tried not to sigh. I thought that eleven year olds were bad! "Here you go." He gave

Draco the cooling potion and the sleeping draft. He watched as the child's eyes slowly slid closed. "Go

to sleep."

"Night Uncle Sev." The boy whispered as he slid down and rested against his mother.

"Finally." Narcissa smiled. "I'd hate to have to give him that many potions."

Lucius nodded. "Definitely. Thank you Severus."

Snape smiled. I don't enjoy giving children nasty tasting potions. But at least I'll be able to

leave in a few hours. "It's not over. He'll need second doses of a few of these potions. Narcissa will

explain what you need to do."

Lucius frowned. "Why can't potions just fix everything?" He demanded crossly.

Severus glared at his friend. "Muggles would have to suffer for days with sun poisoning and

sun burning as bad as Draco had. Potions simply helped."

Narcissa put a hand on her husband's forearm. "No time to fight now. We need to get the lotion

on Draco before he wakes up."

Severus nodded and moved to help Narcissa move her son. But Lucius beat him to it.

"Wingardium Leviosa." He gently levitated Draco off Narcissa and onto the large bed. Then he

banished his clothes and took the offered pot of green salve.

"Aloe, mostly." Severus told Narcissa. "Promotes healing and will re-leave much of the pain.

Have him take a cool shower or bath then apply it right after."

Narcissa nodded. "Thank you Severus. I don't think I'd have been able to do much with out

you."

Lucius finished covering his son in the green slave and conjured a set of pyjamas onto him.

"Thank you Severus. Nice to see you. I'll be returning in a few days."

Severus quickly stepped away from Narcissa. Lucius was starting to look rather angry, the way

he got mad when someone touched one of his more precious pieces of jewellery. "Have a good

vacation. I'll be leaving now."

"Thank you again." Narcissa said before sitting back on Draco's bed. "You'll have to spend

some more time with Draco this summer."

"I'd like that." Severus smiled. But he caught Lucius's glare and hurried out of the room toward

the floo.

"Now let's relax." Lucius took his wife's hand and led her to the beach. With luck their vacation

would proceed flawlessly and be filled with many more happiness filled days.

**The End. **


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